Bahrain artist eyes US glory

Manama, July 7, 2012

A Bahrain artist, who has received worldwide acclaim for his work, is hoping to catch the eye in America as he prepares to take part in an exhibition in New York.

Indian School art teacher Satheesh Paul has been selected to showcase his work at the Agora Gallery, which is dedicated to the promotion of national and international artists.

The 45-year-old will fly out on July 25 to showcase four paintings, crayon and oil on canvas, in the three-week exhibition.

Paul, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and graphics for Master of Fine Arts (MFA), has already displayed his work in 14 solo events and 17 group exhibitions.

His style is to reproduce life experiences on canvas or crayon and graphic prints, avoiding the lavish use of colours and using muted and subdued hues to create powerful imagery.

Paul is set to showcase paintings featuring symbolic subjects from daily life in the US. 'I am very proud and excited to be part of this exhibition,' he said.

The artist, who has previously exhibited in Greece, Indonesia, Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait and has pieces of work on display in Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, France, the US, UK and India, has won several awards including state awards from Karnataka and Kerala.

'Colours and paints were my passion from childhood,' said the Bahrain Arts Society member.

'My experiences in life have always persuaded me to paint. My works are the memoirs of the smouldering track I passed through. I can communicate them to the world only through my paintings,' he noted.

'It is not everyday that I work on a painting. There are times when the strongest of my inner feelings finds expression in a small pencil sketch, which might never translate into a bigger canvas,' he remarked.

Paul, who has three daughters Alice, 11, Elizabeth, nine, and one-month-old Ann, says the support of his wife Chitra, a teacher at Al Mahd School, gives him the freedom to pursue his career.

'I love my family and they are very supportive, especially my wife,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service